Software Development Education...

kraig911kraig911
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
If you could study anything in programming what would it be? I'm curious as to what the best outlet would be to go into right as I'm interested in going back to school myself to learn more about it. I was just thinking of getting a certificate in C+ at the Austin Community College but I'm just not sure as to what I should study to learn more about it. I have some ideas i want to explore but I just don't have the adequate knowledge and whats more the ignorance blinds me from really everything I should know.



Is a degree from a bigger university that much more valuable? What are the bigger competencies to know for programming for Mac OS X? and is it really worth it? Are there online forums with people who could answer my questions if say per chance I got a good book. And what exactly is a good book to go buy/by?



My experience in programming isn't much as I've only had 2 introductory courses that were so easy and stupid that it wasn't worth it. They were mainly math oriented around stuff on Windows, and Maxscript in 3d Studio Max. Anyways I'm curious as to any advice I can find. I've read other threads on here, but basically they are just the mindset one should be in it felt. I appreciate any response though...

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    talksense101talksense101 Posts: 1,738member
    Teach yourself PHP. It is powerful and useful.
  • Reply 2 of 6
    merovingianmerovingian Posts: 436member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by kraig911

    Is a degree from a bigger university that much more valuable?



    I would say so. At a university you don't just learn programming. Programming is the basic skill of a programmer, we were once told. So far that seems pretty much dead on. You learn so much more than you would normally learn at, say, a programming course.



    There is a fair chunk of maths thrown in though, which can be either interesting or boring, but it does give a solid foundation.



    I say this because I'm doing B. Comp. Sci. I love it. m.
  • Reply 3 of 6
    stupider...likeafoxstupider...likeafox Posts: 1,618member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Merovingian

    You learn so much more than you would normally learn at, say, a programming course.



    Apologies, but this a pet hate of mine.



    You learn much more *Computer Science*.



    Computer Science != Software Development
  • Reply 4 of 6
    stupider...likeafoxstupider...likeafox Posts: 1,618member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by kraig911

    If you could study anything in programming what would it be? I'm curious as to what the best outlet would be to go into right as I'm interested in going back to school myself to learn more about it. I was just thinking of getting a certificate in C+ at the Austin Community College but I'm just not sure as to what I should study to learn more about it. I have some ideas i want to explore but I just don't have the adequate knowledge and whats more the ignorance blinds me from really everything I should know.



    Is a degree from a bigger university that much more valuable? What are the bigger competencies to know for programming for Mac OS X? and is it really worth it? Are there online forums with people who could answer my questions if say per chance I got a good book. And what exactly is a good book to go buy/by?





    A lot of big questions here.



    Are you wanting to make a living out of this, or is it more a hobby? That's probably a good start.



    One clear bit of advice at the moment: C++ is the spawn of the devil. Avoid!



    You might want to have a look at one of the How to think like a Computer Scientist books. They come in Python, Java and C++ flavours, (I'd recommend the Python one) and are freely available on the web e.g. http://www.ibiblio.org/obp/thinkCSpy/.



    Or perhaps the Head First Java book from O'Reilly (http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/hfjava/) would be good. It uses the latest advances in cognitive research and some really corny jokes to make learning Java easier.
  • Reply 5 of 6
    ipeonipeon Posts: 1,122member
    I have the same question myself. I've always been interested in programming, specifically... being able to understand how programs are made and how to make a program for OS X. This is just from interest as I do not want to make a living out of it. What I'm looking for is a good straight to the basics book that gives me the goods. I'm impatient with education via "example" and hand holding type mumbo jumbo. I bought a book once that went on and on telling me to type this and type that and then see the result. Well, GREAT, that's just wonderful. I got nothing out of it. What I want is a good guide telling me HOW it all works. Any recommendations?
  • Reply 6 of 6
    merovingianmerovingian Posts: 436member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by stupider...likeafox

    Computer Science != Software Development



    Myes.



    In fact: Software Development ⊆ Computer Science. m.
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